Physiological and pharmaceutical properties of new chemical entities (NCE) or active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) are usually administered by various methods. One of the most accurate and convenient ways of administrating NCE is via sophisticated implantable infusion pumps where human intervention for dosing is minimized for both acute and chronic infusion. These types of pumps are implanted subcutaneously and therefore allow various administration routes including intravenous, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, etc.

Telemetry has become the gold standard^1-5 for monitoring physiological data in unrestrained, conscious laboratory animals. The use of stress-free laboratory animals leads to higher sensitivity for drug induced effects and lower variability of parameters measured. In combination with this gold standard, sophisticated implantable infusion pumps will lead to ever more sensitive and powerful means of detecting drug induced therapeutic and/or adverse effects.

Until recently, only passive implantable infusion pumps were available for use. Typically, they only allowed a constant infusion of one solution after implantation. They cannot be refilled and the infusion rate is fixed. Replacement pumps can be implanted but replacement requires a new surgical procedure.

The use of electromechanical pumps allows drug dosage to be programmed to infuse at accurate time points and durations. Further, the dosage can be programmed to increase at regular/various intervals without intervention of the user. The infusion protocol can include a recovery period phase where only saline is infused to keep the catheter patent/open. Then at an accurate time later, a therapeutic dose or various multiples or fragments of this dose can be infused. The limitation would depend on the solubility of the substance, the prepared concentration of the substance, and the range of flow infusion rate limitations of the pump itself.

Sophisticated infusion protocols such as drug escalation studies with washout durations are programmable using such electromechanical implantable pumps in tetherless, free moving animal models.